


Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot?

by MyMisguidedFairytale



Series: light reading [13]
Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Canon Compliant, F/M, Gift Exchange, New Year's Eve, Office Party, Pre-Canon, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-16 09:40:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18688912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyMisguidedFairytale/pseuds/MyMisguidedFairytale
Summary: If Cheadle knew anything about Pariston at all it was that he liked to be the center of attention and that he never missed a chance to put her on edge. He should be practicallygravitatingtowards an opportunity for both.





	Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot?

**Author's Note:**

> _Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot?_ was originally written and published on July 09, 2014 on [tumblr](https://cheadle-yorkshire.tumblr.com/post/91201601257/fanfiction-hunter-x-hunter-should-old).
> 
> Everything below is preserved as it was originally posted:
> 
> **Title** : Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot?  
>  **Pairing** : Slight Cheadle x Pariston  
>  **Word Count** : 1086  
>  **Summary** : If Cheadle knew anything about Pariston at all it was that he liked to be the center of attention and that he never missed a chance to put her on edge. He should be practically _gravitating_ towards an opportunity for both.  
>  **A/N** : Takes place the first December after Pariston’s appointment as vice-chair. Post- _Mise-en-scène_.

**__** __

_**Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot?** _

The annual Association New Year’s party was about as lively as Cheadle could ever remember it being.

Which really didn’t say much in its favor, but it _was_ only the first hour, and Netero _had_ promised fireworks at midnight. Whether that would turn out to be a good or bad thing remained to be seen, but knowing him, at least it would make things interesting.

Piyon had decorated the place splendidly, and the lobby of the headquarters building was trimmed with tinsel and lights in varying shades of silver, gold, and black. And her newest idea, a secret gift exchange, had been the source of the majority of the party’s liveliness. Everyone who agreed to participate had been given the name of someone else to find a gift for, and would be given a gift by another member of the Association in turn. Some had used their particular talents for their gifts—Ickshonpay had already given Cheadle her gift, when a courier had arrived and presented her with a thin card on which a cartoon depiction of Ickshonpay marched across, informing her that he had upgraded her phone and computer’s wifi connection, remote storage, and security to be second to none. She checked her phone, and the screen flashed black for a moment before a series of pixellated fireworks lit up the display, followed by a short melody of beeping noises and the words _Happy New Year, Cheadle!_

She’d seen the same cartoon avatar skipping around the various monitors in the lobby, interacting with the party in his own way and changing the music mid-song when it wasn’t to his taste. Still, Cheadle thought she’d lucked out with her gift giver, even if her gift _recipient_ left a little to be desired.

The simple black box tied with a silver ribbon in her hands had yet to be given away. Her target hadn’t even shown yet, which was strange, because if she knew anything about Pariston at all it was that he liked to be the center of attention and that he never missed a chance to put Cheadle on edge. He should be _gravitating_ towards an opportunity for both.

But instead, he was making her wait. She couldn’t leave the party until she gave away her gift, after all.

A few visits to the snack table later, and he still hadn’t shown. She was beginning to think he wasn’t going to come at all, when the crowds parted and there he was, walking towards her with a beaming smile on his face and a drink in one hand. At his appearance, a wave of irritation washed over Cheadle, and she couldn’t believe she had been deliberately spending her time waiting for _this_.

“Ah, Cheadle, my dear! How good to see you.” He set his empty glass down on a side table and clasped her free hand in both of his. “I trust you’re enjoying the party?”

She wrenched her hand free. “It’s better, now that you’re here.”

“Oh?” He tilted his head, looking at her with earnest appraisal, and Cheadle felt her face growing hot.

That came out wrong. “The Vice-Chairman shouldn’t be late to the party. What took you so long? Rat.”

“I see.” His eyes dropped to the package in her hands for a moment. “I couldn’t decide on what tie to wear.”

The one he wore was just as loud and ridiculous as the others that comprised his wardrobe, but he had at least made an effort with the colors to reflect the season. The dark green, gold, and red looked good on him, in a weird way, even if it was a little hard to take in all at once.

“We almost match,” he said, idly settling one of his arms around her shoulders. “Come on, let’s get you a drink.”

She ducked out from under his arm—and they _did_ match, how embarrassing—and shoved the present at his chest. “This is for you. Rat.” 

“And here I thought your presence was present enough.” He sounded far too amused as he took the box, tugging on the edges of the ribbon with slender fingers. “You really shouldn’t have.”

“Don’t say that until you see what’s inside.” She held her breath as he opened the lid of the box. “Although I doubt the sentiment will change.”

Inside, nestled in neatly folded red tissue paper, rested a pair of costume mouse ears.

“Since you’re a Zodiac now, I think you should look the part.” Cheadle adopted a particularly wicked grin at that, as she reached for the ears. “Please, allow me.”

She would probably pay for this later, she knew. Pariston was not the type to suffer indignities, and he was probably already concocting a suitable revenge on her as she raised the ears to his head.

But the look on his face was _so_ worth it.

He didn’t bend down for her, so she had to stand on her tiptoes, but she set the headband in place and straightened his hair around it. It was an odd look, so unlike him that she let out an uncharacteristic giggle. Pariston raised an eyebrow.

“Is it that bad?”

“Oh no. Rat,” she said, masking her satisfaction and schooling her features into one of seriousness. “It suits you. You look like one of us, now.”

She knew he was still humoring her, just as surely as she knew that _nothing_ he did could make him truly one of them. He was hardly putting in the effort—the mouse ears didn’t count, she would probably never see them on him again after tonight—but he seemed determined that he and the rest of the Zodiac Twelve would always remain strangers in the ways that counted. He had to have her trust for that to change. And that was something that, for reasons she couldn’t quite peg down, he would never have. Even though they worked together, and saw each other daily, they had never once broached the subject of _trust_. Whatever it was he wanted from her, it wasn’t that.

Pariston reached up, and stroked the edge of one of Cheadle’s ears with his fingertips. Her ear twitched; it felt strange, and she batted his hand away.

“A tiger can’t change its stripes,” he mused. “So they say.”

“True,” she said, and she smoothed the edges of his plaid suit jacket by his shoulders. “But you’re not a tiger. You’re a rat.”

**Author's Note:**

> 1) Thank you for reading! I would appreciate and value your comments.


End file.
